ON THE NATURE OF HORSES by Carol DamianIt is Lina Binkele’s profound understanding of and fascination with the relationship between humans and animals that inspire her images of horses. Not only does she see the horse as one of the most majestic of creations, she is interested in describing the image of the horse as the embodiment of a symbolic language that reveals much about the character of human actions. Humans ask horses to do many things and be many things that build upon their instincts – especially their well-developed social instincts. Horses understand the nature of dominance and submission, as do humans. The history of the horse is the history of mankind. It is Lina Binkele’s intention to move beyond the mere representation of the horse’s physical traits and the exploitation of its physical beauty. Furthermore, she never uses the form of the horse as a vehicle for humanisation (or dehumanisation). Her art is created with the intention of rescuing the horse from human dominance and celebrating its intelligence and beauty.The sculptures and drawings of Lina Binkele maintain the same constant reverence for the horse as artists have had for thousands of years. Understanding that the animal was designed for speed, efficiency and strength, she captures the complex system of balance that allows the horse to gallop, endure, carry and stand. In her works, the horses float as if by magic in the open air. They appear as fragments, yet remarkably complete. Their liveliness is achieved by the energy of the broad, curving outlines that describe their wonderful physiques. Lina Binkele’s aesthetic approach to capturing the essence of the horse is through rounded, freely interconnected linear contours that are as organic and sensual as her subject. Her approach is both spontaneous and rhythmic, reflecting the characteristics of the horse in motion that have been so admired through the ages.The horses that Lina Binkele creates through her art are not of any one specific breed or identity. Her horse is always the same horse of her imagination; a female horse with whom she can personally interact and relate according to her own experiences. Each work demonstrates not only her drawing skills and the ability to recognize the animal’s most salient features, while appreciating its intellect as well, but also her total understanding of both physical surface and anatomical structure. Beginning with her sculptures of horses in wood, then translating their vitality into bronze, and now working in wood again, she has always been interested in exploring surface as a means to further enhance the animal’s life and energy. The surface treatment of all of her art shares a common trait based on her interest in ethnic fabrics, especially nomad fabrics and women’s clothing with their bold geometric patterns and earth tones. Her approach to drawing and sculpting demonstrates this attention to surface for its expressive qualities, and to add interest to the sculpted form, whether in wood or bronze.Carving in wood results in different effects than modelling in clay that is then cast in bronze. Lina Binkele is able to achieve remarkably unique results in both media, while demonstrating her concern with the same conceptual issues of the horse as a creature of freedom and beauty, and her aesthetic intentions to transform the physical into something more expressive. Beyond the textural enrichment of the sculptures of horses that adds to their vitality and sense of naturalism, Lina Binkele also creates the image of the horse as a fragmentary entity. Rather than present its physical form in its entirety, she offers the viewer the opportunity to complete the picture and fulfil private dreams to ride or own a horse or revisit the imaginings of lost worlds. Her incomplete renditions of the body of the horse are reminiscent of ancient statuary, the classical artefacts from temple reliefs, the remains of equestrian monuments, and the vestiges of the past. Each work appeals and communicates on numerous levels that transcend merely corporeal or animal representation. It is informed by an aesthetic and sensitive understanding of physical form, especially of the magnificent horse.Miami, Florida, September 2000Carol Damian teaches at Florida International University.